Chadwick Allen Gingher, owner of Coastal Paint & Decorating, died unexpectedly at his home August 22. He was 46.

A Long Beach native, Gingher started his career in paint at a young age. He started working in the Long Beach Paint store part-time when he was 16. Later he joined the Coastal Paint team on East Anaheim Street and six years ago he bought the business.

Customers turned to him for painting advice and he took care of them like family.

“He was the life of the store – the one with the jokes, the comforting words and the patience to listen to an elderly customer tell seemingly endless stories of the good ol’ days, even when there was work to be done,” according to his memorial service biography.

The future of Coastal Paint & Decorating remains unknown. The independently-owned store remains open for business and Gingher’s mother is expected to handle the situation. Coastal Paint is known for its friendly, personable atmosphere and top quality Benjamin Moore Paints.

“When you think of Chad, you think of a guy with a huge heart. Chad has helped my business in so many ways it’s hard to explain,” said long-time customer and friend Patrick Miller.

“If I needed to borrow a truck to pick up large pieces of wood, he would not even hesitate to tell me to take the paint truck. My airless sprayer broke; he would force me to take the rental and not charge me. He’s sitting there eating a sandwich and you walk by, ‘Pat – you want half of this sandwich?’ I could just go on and on with stories on how big his heart is.”

Unlike store chains, Miller said he always looked forward to going to Coastal Paint to see Gingher and other contractor friends. He described the close-knit place as “unique” and “very special.”“I believe this has a lot to do with Chad’s character and this is why I really think (former owner) Ed Itchek wanted Chad to have the store when he sold it,” Miller reflected.

Miller said the news of Gingher’s death was shocking and hard to take in. He can only speculate it was some sort of heart attack. “I was sitting there joking with him the afternoon of the day of his passing. He seemed normal, nothing stood out.”

That day, Gingher told his girlfriend he felt tired and that he would go take a nap. He never woke up, the biography read. He and his girlfriend shared a home together in Long Beach.

Autopsies are standard procedure in such cases and results are likely pending.

Funeral services took place Saturday, Aug. 31, at Grace First Presbyterian Church, Long Beach. A Celebration of Life reception followed at Gingher’s mother’s house on Knoxville Avenue in Long Beach. The interment was at Forest Lawn Mausoleum, Long Beach. kirt@longbeachcomber.com